As one of its forms of community service, the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FH UGM), provides legal counseling to local communities. Legal counseling is a routine FH UGM program conducted every semester. This year’s program was held in two areas, namely Cangkringan and Godean Districts, Sleman Regency. The legal counseling sessions were conducted nine times in early April, with each session focusing on a specific topic. Six topics were covered throughout the program: drug prevention, human trafficking, domestic violence, disaster preparedness, legislative drafting, and national awareness and state defense.
The legal counseling sessions were attended by village government officials, members of the Community Protection Unit (Linmas), Village Development Non-Commissioned Officers (Babinsa), and community leaders. FH UGM assigned at least 40 lecturers to provide legal counseling to the communities, with five lecturers assigned to each session. Lecturers from various legal disciplines took turns presenting materials and discussing legal issues relevant to everyday life. The lecturers also opened discussion sessions, giving community members an opportunity to ask questions. The participants showed considerable enthusiasm in engaging with the speakers throughout the sessions.
Previously, the legal counseling program was organized by the Research and Development Unit of FH UGM. This year, however, the program was organized by the Center for Legal Consultation and Aid (PKBH) FH UGM. According to Sai’da Rusdiana, S.H., LL.M., Secretary of PKBH, the community response to the program had been quite positive. Sai’da expressed her hope that the legal counseling program would not be limited to villages in the future. “If possible, we would like to expand it to senior and vocational high schools,” she added. She also emphasized the need to continue increasing lecturer participation in the legal counseling program. (Fardi)
